NOVEL APPLICATIONS OF FLEXIBLE CARBON SPONGES Tung Pham Ngoc Suppervisors: - Prof. Jyri-Pekka Mikkola - Prof. Krisztian Kordas - William Larsson Department of Chemistry Umeå University • Outline:  Introduction  Aim of the project  Experimental part  Results  Conclusion Carbon materials • Activated carbon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Activated_carbon http://www.wisegeek.com/what-isan-overstocked-aquarium.htm http://www.exportersindia.com/activ e-char/products.htm?slno=347488 J. S. Im, J. Yun, S. C. Kang, S. K. Lee and Y.S. Lee, Applied Surface Science 2012, 258, 2749-2756 Not only activated carbon.. - Carbon nanotubes. - Graphene. - 3D carbon structure http://www.quirkyscience.com/grap hene-isolation-characterizationapplication-and-production/ D. P. Hashim, N. T. Narayanan, J. M. Romo-Herrera, D. A. Cullen, M. G. Hahm, P. Lezzi, J. R. Suttle, D. Kelkhoff, E. Muñoz-Sandoval and S. Ganguli, Scientific reports 2012, 2 http://inhabitat.com/thermopowerwavesmit-scientists-discover-new-way-toproduce-electricity/ H. Sun, Z. Xu and C. Gao, Advanced Materials 2013 Starting material • BT foam, a material based on a thermoset resin. • It has: – Light weight. – Open cell foam (more than 99% empty) – Relatively cheap • BT is mainly used in heat and noise insulation. Aim of the project • Our aims: – Create a multi-purpose product: • Can be used as an adsorbent to remove contaminants from water (such as spill oil). • Carrier for metal catalyst. • Framework for the ’Artificial Leaf’ • Other electronic devices (will soon be tested ...) • Other applications... Courtesy Chris Wilkins/AFP/Getty Images Experimental part • The BT samples were subject to different pyrolysis temperatures (600, 650, 700, 750 and 800 0C) to explore the characteristics of the material after the treatment. • The optimized activation conditions chosen was 800 0C • Oil adsorption test was performed by putting a drop of curde oil in water and the hydrophobic version (can float on water) was used to adsorb the oil • The oil adsorption capability was conducted as in ref. (1) (1) Hashim, D. P.; Narayanan, N. T.; Romo-Herrera, J. M.; Cullen, D. A.; Hahm, M. G.; Lezzi, P.; Suttle, J. R.; Kelkhoff, D.; Muñoz-Sandoval, E.; Ganguli, S.; Roy, A. K.; Smith, D. J.; Vajtai, R.; Sumpter, B. G.; Meunier, V.; Terrones, H.; Terrones, M.; Ajayan, P. M. Sci. Rep. 2012, 2. Carbonization conditions • Temperature ramp: • Nitrogen atsmosphere: • Carbonization time: 1 0C/min. 50 ml/min. 1 hour at the highest temperature. Activation conditions • Initiated imidiately after the carbonization step was concluded • Activation temperature: 800 0C • Activation time: 2 hours • Nitrogen: 50 ml/min • CO2 (2%): 1 ml/min Results • After pyrolysis and activated at choosen condition, the samples were reduced in size and weight but were are still soft and flexible • This implicates superior mechanical strength compared to usually optained brittle materials Sample’s shrinkage after pyrolysis 90 80 70 % 60 50 40 30 20 Length loss Weight loss 10 0 600 650 700 750 Pyrolysis temperature, 0C 800 SEM- 1K of Magnification Starting material 800 0C 600 0C Activated sample SEM-10K of Magnification Starting material 800 0C 600 0C Activated sample XPS results Elemental compositions C 80,0 N 70,0 O Na 60,0 % 50,0 40,0 30,0 20,0 10,0 0,0 Starting material 600 650 700 Pyrolysis temperature, 0C 750 800 Activated sample BET results 332 350 300 m2/g 250 200 150 100 50 4 4 4 3 2 4 Starting material 600 650 700 750 800 0 Activated sample TEM image of activated sample - After activation the sample has high surface area thus it is ready to serve e.g. as a carrier for metal catalysts Oil adsorption experiment Sample Crude oil Water • Using the sample which was pyrolysed at 600 Deg.C to adsorp the crude oil on water • The oil adsortion capability of the sample is up to 70-80 times of its weight • The material can be reused after the oil adsoportion test by burning the oil from the sample or squeezing to remove the oil from the sample by physical force Conclusions • We have an interesting material which can be used for various purposes. • It has some advatages such as: – Cheap material: • Think a about the price of the starting material which we can use not only as ’of the factory self’ but also as used BT foam (e.g. construction waste) • Simple treatment process Conclusions – We can create the final products in any size (limited by the size of furnace) and shapes which has been identified. Future work • Additional measurement – Measure the contact angle, electrical conductivity, etc. ... of the material – Application in ’Artificial Leaf’ devices – Catalytic tests after the deposition of metal catalysts on the surface – and more.... Acknowledgments – Prof. Jyri-Pekka Mikkola – Prof. Krisztian Kordas – Prof. Knut Irgum – Nordic ChemQuest AB – Ajaikumar Samikannu Thank you for listening